As is well known and understood, hunting is one of the most prolific leisure time activities in many countries. Reports as early as the 1980s, for example, indicate that over three million deer are killed annually in the United States, on top of which untold thousands of elk and moose are also killed each year. Such numbers are oftentimes exceeded in other countries, such as Canada, as well. With the high cost of meat, it will well be realized how more and more each day, the meat on such animals becomes increasingly valuable. Venison on a deer, for example, is well worth between two hundred and three hundred dollars depending upon the size of the deer.
However, as will be appreciated, if it is desired to obtain such meat and to bring it home without it having a gamy taste, it becomes necessary to gut the animal as quickly as possible after the kill. One problem with doing this is that it is important to not cut the entrails or intestines of the animal while field dressing it, otherwise the waste products will spoil the meat. Further, it has been found that the fluids, such as blood, released during dressing the animal often lubricate the surfaces of the knife. This often results in injuries as the hunter's hand slips from the handle of the knife, sliding across the cutting edge of the knife.
Thus, there exists a need for a knife guard which permits the knife to cut the skin of the animal while impeding the cutting of the entrails or intestines of the animal, while also impeding injuries to the user of the knife.